Physician scarcity in underdeveloped areas of Turkey: what do new graduate physicians think?

INTRODUCTION A sufficient and balanced distribution of physicians plays a key role in access to high quality healthcare services. However, this issue presents serious problems globally. Turkey is currently experiencing physician shortages, with insufficient numbers of physicians in its rural and underdeveloped areas. The objectives of this study were to identify the views of new graduate physicians, prior to employment, on working in underdeveloped areas, in order to discover factors impacting their desire to work in these areas, and to show the actual geographic distribution of physicians in Turkey. This provides the basis for discussing future policies. METHODS This study was conducted in Turkey from September to November 2009. All physicians (N=4753) who graduated in 2009 were included in the study via online questionnaires. The response rate was 78%. Variables potentially related to physicians' decisions to work in underdeveloped areas were analyzed using the χ(2) test. To discover the imbalance in geographic distribution of physicians, data collected by the Turkish Ministry of Health (MoH) were re-analyzed. Physician density was calculated for the six zones determined by the MoH according to socioeconomic development. RESULTS Of the physicians who participated, 52.5% were male and 13.5% expressed a desire to work in underdeveloped areas. Male physicians were more likely to work in underdeveloped areas (17.5% and 9.1%, respectively; p<0.05). There was a significant relationship between desire to work in underdeveloped areas, regions of longest stay and birthplace (p<0.05). Physicians who had lived for a significant period in areas with a high number of underdeveloped cities (Southeastern and Eastern Turkey) and those who were born in underdeveloped cities were more likely to wish to work in these areas. The most influential factor for working in these areas was higher salaries. CONCLUSIONS Physicians who have particular socioeconomic backgrounds such as rural origin and lower background-family income are more likely to have be motivated to work in underdeveloped areas. They are also more likely to accept work in these areas if financial and non-financial opportunities are provided. The findings of this study provide guidance for those revising health workforce policies.